1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a grid-shaped spacer including sheet-metal webs forming meshes for fuel rods of a nuclear-reactor fuel assembly, an elongate spring being disposed in a mesh, being curved about a direction transverse to its own longitudinal direction and having a tab at each of two spring ends engaging through a web aperture being formed in one of the sheet-metal webs and defining two spaced, mutually opposite aperture edges opposing an elongation of the spring.
Such a spacer is known from German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 26 44 297, corresponding to Published U.K. Application 1 539 367. Two elongate leaf springs of that spacer have a tab at one spring end on one longitudinal edge of the leaf spring and a tab at the other spring end on the other longitudinal edge of that leaf spring. The web aperture is divided in two by means of a transverse sheet. When a first leaf spring is located on the one side of the sheet-metal web, each of its two tabs engages through another part of the web aperture in the sheet-metal web and bears flat against the other side of the sheet-metal web. Located on that other side is the second leaf spring which likewise engages with each of its two tabs through another part of the web aperture in the sheet-metal web in each case. On the side of the sheet-metal web having the first leaf spring, those tabs of the second leaf spring are each located on the other longitudinal edge of the first leaf spring, on which that first leaf spring has no tab at the respective spring end, and they bear flat against the sheet-metal web there. The two leaf springs are thereby anchored firmly relative to one another on the sheet-metal web.